A federal judge in Chicago dismissed former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page’s lawsuit targeting the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and a Democratic-aligned law firm on Monday, ruling that the court had no jurisdiction in the case.
In a court filing obtained by Politico, U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber said that Page’s efforts to target the Seattle-based Perkins Coie law firm as well as the DNC in Chicago court were based on “baseless conjecture” alleging that the law firm utilized its Chicago office to commission the dossier authored by Christopher Steele concerning President Trump’s alleged ties to Russia.
“On its face, the Complaint fails to establish an Illinois connection,” wrote the judge. “Plaintiffs’ claims consist entirely of out-of-state activity by out-of-state actors.”
“Although Plaintiffs describe Perkins Coie LLC as an Illinois LLC, it is actually a Delaware LLC managed from Washington, D.C., and registered to do business in Illinois,” Leinenweber continued, adding, “Plaintiffs’ DNC arguments fare no better. Although Plaintiffs admit the DNC is a national committee incorporated and headquartered in Washington D.C., they argue that it is nevertheless ‘at home’ in Illinois.”
Page sued the DNC and Perkins Coie in January, alleging that the DNC hired the firm’s partners Marc Elias and Michael Sussman to craft a dossier of unsubstantiated allegations concerning Trump and his associates’ ties to Russia that Page has argued was the basis of investigators obtaining a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to spy on him. His allegations come despite testimony from Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz affirming that the Steele dossier “had no impact” on the decision to open an investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaign.
An attorney representing Page ripped the judge’s ruling in a statement to Politico vowing to continue legal efforts against the DNC and Perkins Coie.
“This if far from the end of Carter Page’s campaign to hold the DNC and Perkins Coie accountable for their role in what happened to him over the past several years,” said the attorney. “We are reviewing the opinion now, and we will be determining our next step soon. Carter Page does not quit, and neither does his legal team. We will not relent until justice is done, and until those who are responsible for the most brazen criminal conspiracy in American political history are brought to justice.”